The Great Escape 2016

Festival guide

What better way to kick off UK festival season than getting thousands of music lovers to assemble en masse at the seaside? This is precisely what will come to pass on 19th May, when over 400 of the best up-and-coming artists will descend on Brighton for three days of live shows in bars, theatres and churches. We've whittled down that intimidatingly great line-up into a neat list of highlights - check it out below.

Top picks

We’ve been sold on Loyle Carner ever since we first heard ‘BFG’ back in February 2015, but every subsequent song has only reiterated the South Londoner’s promise. Tackling personal subjects like absent parents and peer pressure with skill and grace, his smooth, skilful flow straddles the nebulous border between rap and poetry. Combine that with his use of smoky samples and loose, swinging beats, and he’s rapidly earmarking himself as one of the UK’s most exciting young voices.

Should ‘Heavenly Creatures’ ever be remade, Rosa Walton and Jenny Hollingworth should be first choice to provide the suitably creepy soundtrack. Blessed with an almost telepathic musical closeness, the Norfolk teenagers make experimental art-pop characterised by gurgling vocal harmonies and ominous synths. The duo’s debut album, I, Gemini, isn’t due until 17th June, but if you head to The Haunt on Thursday, or Latest Music Bar on Friday, you can get a sneaky preview.

If watching wall-to-wall buzz bands makes your eyeballs itch, Oliver Coates should provide some welcome respite. A cellist, composer and producer, Coates’ previous projects include working with Johnny Greenwood and the London Contemporary Orchestra on film scores, and collaborations with artists as diverse as Actress and Steve Reich. Solo, he’s being tipped as the next Arthur Russell thanks to his knack for shaping experimental dancefloor cuts from organic instrumentation.